Scottf

LOL That's me and Sam

I sit in a corner so luckily I always see people coming. Normally I flick onto another program and lower the bar.

My job as an accountant entails me monitoring activity on a number of websites, especially this one

No wonder this country's going to the dogs with your two's work ethics. I'm busting a gut here, clearing things up before Christmas

No, but I don't know if I'd call surfing working

Write or email them Vanessa. I'm sure the chef/manager would appreciate hearing your comments. If you don't complain and they don't realise what's going on they can't do anything about it. I've just emailed a restaurant I went to last night that gave Sam the most expensive wine by the glass without giving a choice, especially as there were less expensive options available. If that's their standard practice fine, there's plenty of other restaurants. If a mistake's been made at least they know.

I'd get the caterers in if I were you

You wouldn't let that stop you, would you

Anyone got a simple recipe for cooking Teal they'd care to share with me

I'd agree you can eat well at L'Ardoise very reasonably, (in fact in all the bistro's I mentioned the set 3 courses is 30 euros or less), a couple of the dishes I've eaten have eclipsed courses I've had in starred restaurants. And the location is a bonus, my wife's office is a mere 5 min stroll away If you like L'Ardoise I'd heartedly recommend the others to you also.

These observations are based on solitary evening meals except L'Ardoise where we've also grabbed a single course for lunch. La Dinee was easily the most comfortable of the dining rooms, with the more modern decor and the greatest space between tables. Cuisine wise, La Regalade was the most consistent across all 3 courses, closely followed by La Dinee and Clos de Gourmets. Repaire de Cartouche and L'Ardoise were strong on starters and mains but weaker for desserts. Clos de Gourmets cuisine appeared lighter than the others (apart from the pig cheeks ), certainly not as rich as say Repaire de Cartouche or La Regalade. We also found La Regalade and La Dinee particularly friendly in the service stakes, where as at L'Ardoise and Repaire de Cartouche the service was slightly disinterested. The service at L'Ardoise was also pretty rushed during the evening. In summary I'd give the overall edge to La Regalade. We went there with higher expectations than the others and left feeling they'd been fulfilled.

Here's a summary of dishes Sam and I have eaten this year, at bistro's possibly classfied as "moderne". La Regalade Boudin noir, pomme macaire & apple jus Charcuterie Wild canette. chestnuts, wild mushrooms and mustard mash Pyrenees lamb casserole Armagnac souffle, marinated prunes Bitter chocolate bomb, spearmint icecream L'Ardoise Ravioli of pied de veau et foie gras Marinated quail salad Cod Fillet, sundried tomatoes, artichokes & garlic sauce Beef fillet with morels Veal rump, mashed potato & parsley sauce Pot roasted pigeon with peas and lardons Pineapple pastry, vanilla icecream Le Clos de Gourmets Wild leaves salad, parmesan, tomato coulis Salt cod brandade, boiled egg, melba toast, red pepper coulis Pork cheeks, mashed potato Lamb noisettes, pomme anna, rosemary jus Spiced confit fennel, citrus sorbet, basil chiffonade Vanilla icecream ball covered in cocoa, banana chips La Dinee Leek Terrine, prawn tempura & chervil Pied de veau, baked red pepper strips, dijon dressing Entrecote charlolais, red onion & chive mashed potato Scorpion fish, fondant potatoes, saffron sauce Waffle apple tart, caramel, vanilla ice cream Chocolate fondant, chocolate sorbet, baked passion fruit Le Repaire de Cartouche Petit pois soup, croutons & ventreche Swiss chard gateaux, pan fried foie gras Carre d'Agneaux de Geuvandon (sp?), white asparagus & watercress Roast pigeonneau, young cabbage, cubes of foie gras Cherry clafoutis Strawberry feuilletee

Holly The big night in Oistins is Friday. All of the huts open and the atmosphere is like that of a carnival. During the week I only noticed a couple of the huts open, and the queues were long. I would say that it was the best place for casual dining.

Adam echoed my sentiments

You're joking right?!

A seperate note on Astrance. When Sam tried to book for our visit earlier this year, she phoned exactly 30 days from the day we wished to dine. She got through ok and asked in French if the reservationist spoke English. He replied "non" and hung up 30 seconds later Sam's colleague phoned and in fluent French reserved us a table no problem. Looking back, apart from the fact we didn't enjoy it as others have, I wish at that point we hadn't booked a table on principle.

I went for dinner in July and thought the cooking was very good. http://forums.egullet.org/ibf/index.php?s=...hl=pied+a+terre

Jay I only went after reading your review in archive. What's your address again

7 miles and 9 mins according to Michelin

Cabrales Sounds like you're having the trip I want, but I'm having trouble persuading Sam A restaurant I fancy close to SS is http://www.zuberoa.com/, 2*'s I believe.

No idea I'm afraid, though I'd guess at Pumpkin flavoured.

Sam started tucking into the pan fried piece as soon as her plate hit the table. Then the waiter advised her to eat them in a certain order You need to be faster than that when Sam's got Foie on her plate As for the issue of VAT, we discussed it yesterday and came to the same conclusion. VAT aside, everything on the menu tempted me, and I'm definitely going back. Another good point is it's open for lunch both weekend days too.

Can't you decipher through my detailed post Andy? Sorry for the vagueness. I suppose 2 bottles of champagne, a bottle of Burgundy, a Claret, a bottle of port and a bottle of Viognier can scramble the brain Right, the letter alledges that a customer commented on portion sizes in the comment book after the main course of a meal at Hibiscus. The book was removed from the table by the management and a few minutes later the customer was asked to leave before dessert. Obviously only one side of the story - I don't know why I posted it really

Lunched at Foliage on Friday. Arrived bang on time for 1.30. The dining room was only 2/3rds full, and once I'd seen the menu I was amazed it wasn't chocker. The full evening set menu (8 choices per course) for 19.50 for 3 courses, or 25.50 incl. 2 glasses of wine. I'll get my moan out of the way first. These prices don't include service or VAT, and if it says so on the menu, the print must be bloody small. It's the first time I've ever encountered a menu exclusive of VAT, so of course when I got the bill I challenged the price. Once explained fine, but why not price the menu with VAT included? I don't think they need to portray the menu so cheaply because even including VAT it's a bargain. It soured the end of our meal which was ridiculous as the food was first class. Canapes arrived soon after being seated that interrupted our menu choosing and consisted of a tomato risotto beignet with mozzarella and pesto, a shot glass of pumpkin soup with a dash of pumpkin oil and a smoked salmon and cream cheese gateaux. Sam started with the Foie Gras 3 ways. A terrine, a piece pan fried and one marinated in port. All were very tasty and extremely rich. The cylinder of leeks were slightly stringy though. I had Mosaic of Wild Salmon, Red Mullet and Foie Gras. The richness of the foie worked exceptionally well with the freshness of the raw fish. A lovely potato, tomato, asparagus and bacon salad accompanied this. My main was sensational. Assiette of Middlewhite pork. A loin (cooked med rare), a trotter stuffed with sweetbread and foie, a cabbage leaf stuffed with shredded belly and black pudding and some deep fried chitterling. Spinach, pomme puree, roasted apple and an apple and mustard chutney completed this feast. The stuffed cabbage was one of the most flavoursome things I've eaten all year. Sam had Roast duckling breast, a type of confit leg - though I think it was salt roasted rather than confit in the traditional manner, puy lentils, crushed new potatoes and a foie gras pastry (can't remember the offical name ) This had a raspberry sauce which was presented with a waiter placing 3 raspberries across the bottom of Sam's plate and then pouring the sauce atop. All a bit of a palaver really, and it took too long to do as Sam's dinner was pretty cold by the time she finished. The breast was pink and tender and though the leg was chewy it was extremely tasty. Sam didn't much like the lentils as whatever they'd been dressed in had a slight kick, but overall a well executed dish. I'd noted a Pistachio souffle on the dessert menu previously so I didn't really need a second look, and Sam had Chocolate Fondant with Cherry icecream and some other chocolaty things. The Fondant was first class as you'd expect and the icecream was like velvet - beautiful. The souffle was good, (though not as flavoursome as one I had at Petrus once upon a time and which remains my dessert benchmark), and the accompanying chocolate and pistachio icecreams were also superb. We finished with a pot of mint tea (£7 ), which we thought was included in the set menu price (again very unclear on the menu), and some gorgeous looking petit fours that I'll confess to not being able to eat. We asked for them to be boxed but were instead brought a box of chocolates from some gaff in Sloane Sq. The wine by the glass option gives 3 choices for reds and whites and we had a Chilean Viognier and an Australian Shiraz. Total bill incl. service and VAT was £75.29 which is still tremendous value (though not as good as the £57 I thought I was getting out with ). My fav restaurant in London at the moment is The Capital, and I'm reluctant to say lunch at Foliage was better, but there's really nothing in it and it's a great option to eat this class of food at such a price point.